Cat and Mouse
by PitaBunJello
Summary: Hibiki, an aspiring young emitter is yearning to meet the same assassin who saved her life when she was a young girl. But how is she supposed to do that as she falls victim to the Phantom Troupe who seems to have an ulterior motive for her? Struggling to find her way out, she's forced to do things she never thought she'd have to do in her life.
1. Pitcher-Planted

Never in my life would I have thought I'd be chased down like this. Anyone else would have given up by now, and I know that for a fact! It's not my first time being chased out of a city, I can tell you that, but no one's ever kept up with me like this before!

Carefully, I skate along the rooftops of buildings in York New, trying to lose my predators. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up because my nen reserves are almost at their limit. At this rate, I'll have to begin rollerblading on the rooftops, and God knows I haven't had to resort to doing such a thing in almost seven years! Hell, I haven't even bothered using my rollerblades in seven years!

I don't dare look back at the fearsome predators chasing after me as I run. If I do that, I'll screw up and fall of a building. All I try to focus on is getting away. Looking straight ahead, I squint my eyes to prevent them from drying out due to the harsh wind thats from moving so quickly. My hair whips around furiously in the wind as I find myself coming to a halt. It seems that I've reached the end of the city, the only thing below is a port to the ocean. I look down to check out my odds of jumping down safely. I don't have enough nen to cushion my landing with an emission. I gasp when I feel someone's arms wrap around my torso.

"Let go of me, you freak!" I struggle against his strong hold and try to break free. "Stop it!" I stomp on his foot, using the limited knowledge I know of enhancement to enhance the strength of my stomp. He pulls me into a choke hold as I attempt to dig my nails into his arm.

"This kid is pissing me off..." He mutters as I continue struggling against him. How can someone so small be so strong?! He tightens his grip on my throat, forcing me to fight for oxygen rather than fight against him. He snickers menacingly as I struggle. He's like a snake who's trapped a mouse to feed. The mouse is me.

"As much as you and I want to kill her, we were told to bring her back." A tall man with no eyebrows and a green jumpsuit looks down at me. My saliva's beginning to foam at my mouth, I probably look rabid.

"She has such a cute little fear-filled face, though." The black-haired man releases me, causing me to gasp for air. "I can knock her out though, right?" His eyes narrow, his aura becoming dark and sinister as he awaits approval from the other man. I find myself coughing and hyperventilating, trying to pull air into my lungs. I wipe my face of the bubbly saliva and find my body becoming slightly more relaxed.

"He never said how we should knock her out though." The green jumpsuited freak smirks and the caped hooligan grabs me as he says that. He throws me onto the roof so that I'm laying down. Pinning me down, he begins to choke me with a satisfied and wicked smile on his face.

Trying to fight against him, I place my hands on his, clawing at them to try and break free. Tears well up in my eyes, causing my vision to become blurry. These guys are insane... I try fighting back. It all seems so useless. I feel my body go limp as I'm forced to give up breathing for this long period of time.

All of my will to fight is gone. My throat is in so much pain that I can barely feel any other part of my body. The two men towering over me are just silhouettes at this point. I swear that I'll kill them... My vision fades to black on that last thought.

...Cat and Mouse...

Gasping for air, I force myself to wake. I cough a few times, remembering the pain that I just went through. It's not hard due to the heavy bruising that must be around my neck. Glancing around, there's a group of people staring at me. Some look annoyed and some look interested in me whereas the rest of the crew look at me with disinterest. I don't know what to do, so I look to the floor.

Swallowing my fear, I try to be brave. "Who are you sick freaks and why am I here?!" I shout, forcing myself to stand up only to realize that my wrists are tied back. I look back to see nothing, but with a bit of gyo, I can see nen aura in the form of threads. "Let me go!"

I glare at the group of people who don't seem to be fazed by me at all. "I would love to torture her..." The black haired man from before glares at me. I can feel his malicious intent through his aura emanating from him. The intent is strong, needless to say.

A man in all black with slicked back hair tilts my chin upward. I swallow and stare into his hollow eyes. They're so black. It might be a little cliche to say this; but they're as black as the abyss. Now I understand what people mean by _stare into the abyss long enough and the abyss stares back into you_. Okay, so maybe that isn't what they meant, but his eyes still remind me of it.

"You have quite a large nen capacity, don't you?" He smiles and I avert my gaze from his. My heart is beating quickly with fear. I can't really tell if his answer is rhetorical or not, but I'm not really inclined to answer either way.

He continues examining me. I'm a helpless little mouse in this situation. Different predatory animals are looking at me and deciding how to devour me. I have a feeling that as a whole, they're like a pitcher plant... Trapping it's prey within it's cup. The walls are too slippery and steep for me to climb out. Slowly, I will await my death as I'm being eaten alive. A slow and painful death. Is that what awaits me?

Separately, there's no telling the possible ways they would kill me.

"Little girl, what is your name?" He asks, his voice warm and inviting. Letting go of me, he backs up to give me a little bit of space. What's with this sudden change of atmosphere? I feel more uncomfortable than I did before, though I probably shouldn't.

"I'm not a little girl." I mutter. I love small rodents and comparing myself to them, but I'm not a little girl. Just as I would think, they assume me to be weak and helpless. It hurts my ego a bit. "My name's Hibiki Eclaire. That's Hibiki-san to you." I'm not really one to use honorifics in such cases, but just to have a little bit of respect at the moment would be nice. That, and I want a bit more of an ego-boost. I don't even really like honorifics, but if I feel someone should deserve one, I will give them one.

"Alright, Hibiki-san. My name is Chrollo Lucifer." He responds, gesturing at himself. I smile at the use of an honorific while speaking to me and I nod my head.

"So we've already decided what to do with you. However, you'll still undergo an investigation." Chrollo smiles pleasantly and continues sizing me up- or down. "Your hatsu type is emission, correct?" He asks, and I hesitate before nodding. Although I've known of nen for half of my life, I've only mastered emission. I only dabble slightly in enhancement and know a bit of transmutation. It's a bit of an embarrassment but on the bright side, my capacity is above average for anyone else my age, though.

"Your ability? If you have one, that is."

I hesitate. Should I really answer to him? If I don't, I have a feeling he'll kill me. Being slightly more cautious in that sense, I think it'd be a better idea to answer. "I call it nen skates, but it really isn't much of an ability." I say it modestly before continuing to explain further how they work. "I emit bursts of aura in the direction I wish to go. The bigger the burst, the faster the movement. I can walk on water or air if I apply it correctly, though." Explaining it makes it seem even less so. It's nothing special at all, just a simple application that any emitter could do.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. You've obviously got something special if you had my colleagues chasing after you all day." He places a hand on my head and pats it lightly. I can't help but feel uneasy as he does so. So this is a group of hardened criminals?

"Wait, wait, wait." I pull away from Chrollo and glance at each member before continuing. "So you guys are supposed to be the bad guys, right? I'm guessing some sort of criminal organization, right? If you're so bad, why aren't I dead yet? Are you really a bunch of pansies...?"

I tilt my head and raise an eyebrow. They don't seem impressed. "Perhaps I ought to kill you." The boy who strangled me earlier speaks up. His aura has such a violent air around it. I almost regret what I just said. Almost.

"Now now, Hibiki-san. I don't think you fully understand the situation you're in at the moment." He raises a finger and I feel the restraints on my wrist disappear. Looking carefully, it seems to have been a pink-haired girl with an updo. I turn away so that I don't gawk at her. She's really pretty... "You either decide to help us with transportation, thievery, and murder... Or we murder you." He smiles a smile that is no less than eerie.

I look to the ground. If I try leaving, they'll catch me and kill me this time. What should I do? It seems that the only obvious thing to do would be to give in, but do they really want me to do that stuff? I have to kill? I shudder at the thought of me killing someone. I know I probably shouldn't... But... "I... I don't..." I swallow hard. Sweat begins beading on my forehead and probably other places as well. Why do I have to make such a decision?! "I don't want to kill anyone..." I mutter. Not after what happened.

Chrollo looks at me with a comforting feel to his eyes. It completely changes the mood for me. Maybe he understands the way I feel about such a thing? "Don't worry. We'll teach you to enjoy it" My eyes widen and I feel tears well up in my eyes.

To kill someone... I just couldn't think of how I'd be afterwards. I know I shouldn't hate it... he killed for my sake, so I should be strong enough to kill, too! It's been years and I've grown up since then- I have to. I have to be strong enough and having the ability to kill someone is a strength that I don't yet have.

"Please promise me that you won't kill anyone I care about as long as I'm with you!" I manage to say it as I hold back my tears. I look up to Chrollo who nods in response. "You're going to train me too, right?" I ask, looking at the ground. A simple yes from Chrollo is all it takes for me to not hate myself at the moment.

If they're training me, I can become stronger. I'll get stronger before I run away. I can't do it now and God knows that I have to escape. "P-Please make me one of you..." I mutter, giving into them.

* * *

**PitaBunJello, here! **

**So I've decided to rewrite the fanfiction and have removed ALL~ chapters except for the updated ones. Hopefully these ones are better. I will be adding things, taking away things, fixing things... All that good stuff...**

**I hope that the new chapters keep Hibiki more consistent and "emitter-like" now that I have a template for her figured out.**

**Hopefully the new improved version is better! Please rate and review and I hope to keep my old followers and gain new ones as well as I update! Thank you all~**

... Oh, and I also changed the title to Cat and Mouse as you can see~


	2. Charmed

I fall to the ground on my hands and knees, panting. My mouth is full of blood from my cheeks being bitten on from various different punches. I taste iron and it's honestly the most disgusting thing I've tasted. Like liver. Eugh.

I topple onto my side and force my aching muscles to roll me over onto my back. We've been sparring every single day and each spar is shorter than the last due to my tremendous amount of injuries. Though they're small, they prove to be painful in large amounts. Like my cheeks for example, they're swollen. I have a black eye to the point where it's swollen as well and I can barely see out of it. I have various scrapes and bruises on my body from being tossed around repeatedly and a fat lip. My scrapes burn, from dirt getting into them due to today's harsh spar.

Shalnark approaches me, seemingly disappointed in today's spar. He sighs and kneels down. "You've really beaten yourself up today, haven't you?" He chuckles. The only wound I've managed to give him is a kick to the jaw. His lip is swollen as much as mine is, but at least he doesn't look like dog food like I do.

"What are you talking about? You're the one who beat me up." I manage to cough it up as he props me up so that my head is on his lap. "Ow..." I whimper and close my eyes. How long have I been here? I've made some progress in my use of nen at least. I was able to master ko in a month.

Shalnark pulls out a knife and swiftly, but carefully slits open the swollen bump on my left eye. I keep my eye closed to avoid getting blood in it. He dabs it with a cloth and applies ointment. "Open." He says and I can open my eye most of the way now. "Good." He smiles and waits for me to sit myself up. I do, but it takes a bit of effort with how much my body aches. It's like every tendon in my body is being stretched more than they should with every movement. I feel like a noodle.

"Let's head to the springs. They're not far from here." He stands up and I look up at him before forcing myself up as well. He's kind of... admirable, I guess... I use Shalnark as a bit of a support as we head to the springs.

...Cat and Mouse...

It's been a few days and I'm finally beginning to show some results in training. Despite my inability to lay a finger on Shalnark, my ability to evade or block him has grown. I will admit I'm still not amazing at it, but at least I'm not getting scrapes from being tossed around everyday.

"You have to be more resilient!" Shalnark shouts as I'm thrown back by yet another kick. This time the kick was to my stomach, leaving me winded. I cough and bolt straight back up, charging at him with my nen skates. I've gotten faster! I quickly wind around Shalnark, kicking and punching him repeatedly. With simple ease, he blocks or dodges every single shot.

With a swift movement, he grabs my leg and flings me away. I emit a burst of nen from my back and fly straight back at Shalnark. With a feint, I show up behind him and kick him in the side; seventy percent gyo. It proves to be effective. My heart flutters when I witness his body being forced to the right about a metre and a half. It would've been further if I had used my right leg, but it's still an accomplishment.

He turns to me and gives me a thumbs up, indicating he's actually proud of me for once. "Good job." He praises me. I hop up into the air and spin 360 degrees with glee.

"Woohoo~!" I giggle and punch my fist into the air as soon as I land on the ground. "I hit you!" Shalnark approaches me and pats me on the head. "So are we done for today?" I turn to my tutor with newfound pride. I know just hitting him isn't much of a big deal, but it still makes me feel better since I haven't hit him since our first day of sparring, which was approximately two weeks ago.

My tutor stretches before walking back over to me. I've been meaning to ask him a question for a while now, but I'm somewhat hesitant. I mean, I guess it's not that horrible of a question, but it might be butting into his business. You know what? Whatever. I mean, they did kind of kidnap me.

"Why are you the one training me?" I turn to him and he nods. That's an... interesting response I guess? He's being weird.

"Because I'm the one that convinced Chrollo to add you to the Troupe." He smiles and I find my face heating up. Does he think I'm cute? I mean... he bathes with me and he even goes through all of the effort of training me... He buys me new clothing sometimes- wait, what?

"What?" I stare at Shalnark with concern and probably along with a huge, gaping mouth because; what the hell?! He doesn't seem to like my reaction. I try to gain a bit of composure, assuming he'll answer me then. "E-Excuse me?"

He smiles and places his hands on his hips. "Yep." He nods and stretches once more before leading me back to our cabin in a town nearby. Who knew that with something like that, I'd feel so uncomfortable being around him afterwards? Is he some creepy guy who just wanted a younger girl on the team or something? I don't even really know much about him so I can't say so myself.

Walking to our cabin, I'm stopped. "Hibiki-san, you're back?" I find my body tense up. The old man from the market must be on his way home. His name is Zielfer, and he also happens to be Hiro's father...

Shalnark continues walking, despite me stopping in my tracks. "It's such a pleasure to see you around town again! How long has it been? Two years? You don't visit that often, do you? Why are you all dirty and bruised?" he takes my hand with concern. "You remember me, don't you?" I do, I do remember you, how can I not? I just can't talk to you. Looking ahead, I see Shalnark giving me a stern look.

I'm sorry, I must be going, Ziel. I'll miss you. I have to go... I pull my hand away from Ziel and trot up to Shalnark. I can imagine his confused and torn face. It must be horrible to be treated like that by someone you consider a daughter...

Inside our cabin, I force myself into the washroom. I strip and climb into the shower. I turn the water on extra hot and let the water burn my skin. Why did he have to see me? He hasn't seen me for over a month- no one has! Why?! I clench and unclench my hands into fists, looking down at the shower floor. I silently cry... Then I wash away all of the pain... Just momentarily... Just for a little while, I want to be myself in this village...

After my shower, I take a seat at the kitchen table where dinner is waiting. He bought take-out again. Or stole it. Whatever, it's food. I slurp a noodle only to be hit in the back of the head and choke on it. "Ow! What the hell?!" I squeal and grab the back of my head before shooting a glare at Shalnark.

"You're a girl, you have to have some manners, don't you?" He shoots me an annoyed glare and I sigh, eating my noodles in a more ladylike manner, I guess. He takes a seat across from me and eats his noodles.

We eat in silence, but when he finishes his food, he looks at me with dark eyes. I swallow a lump in my throat and raise an eyebrow. Before I open my mouth to question his reasoning for staring at me like a creep, he smiles and begins speaking. "I have a task for you." Oh, great...

"What is it?" I play with my fork and pretend that I'm jabbing Shalnark in the face. Perspective is fun in these cases. He just seems to brush it off despite noticing, though. I feel like this is a bit out of character for me... But I continue doing it nonetheless.

"With the way you're pretending to stab me in the face, I'd like to think you're just about ready..." With a wry grin, he stands up and approaches me, his aura telling me his sadistic intent. Despite his horrifying aura, he places a hand on the top of my head and ruffles my hair, sending shivers up my spine. "I chose this place specifically for a reason; not just for training."

I swallow the fear in my throat and turn to Shalnark. I've never experienced this part of him before... I didn't... I couldn't possibly imagine him gaining bloodlust... But here he is, showing me this part of him. It's so potent that I feel like I'm about to throw up. "W-Why did you choose this place?" I'm sure I know the reason why he's chosen it, but I hide that possibility in the back of my mind.

"This is where you live, is it not? I was somewhat hoping for a situation like what happened earlier to bring up this opportunity." I bite my lip in frustration and look back down at the table. I spent my entire shower forcing myself to forget that event and Shalnark just...

"Why are you doing this to me?!" I yell at Shalnark, and pound my pound my right fist onto the table with a loud smack. I feel a searing pain in my left hand and look down to see that I stabbed it with the fork. I can't tell what it is; whether it's the pain or my pent up emotions... but I sob and pull the fork out of my hand.

"Calm down. This is for your benefit, Hibiki." He pulls me into a well-deserved hug... But why? "You're a strong girl, so I know you can handle this." W-What? Why is he encouraging me? I'm confused, but I take the comfort and cry into Shlanark's chest.

His scent, it's unbelievably calming... I cry and let him comfort me... I need this, I really need this. Why? Why am I so weak? He's a ruthless thief and a murderer... But... I feel myself calming down. My breathing is normal and I'm no longer crying. I pull back from Shalnark and he wipes my tears for me.

"Good girl. See? I told you that you were strong enough..." He places a small kiss on my forehead and I stare at him. "Now that you have all of that out of your system, we need to make sure that old man of yours doesn't tell anyone you're here." I stare at the floor as he continues... Whatever he says... It's all for my benefit... For me...

"So... I want you to kill him."

* * *

**Hey, it's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry for the long wait. I'm trying to improve the story so you see more development from Hibiki and whatnot. At least... in a less amount of chapters. Also; no Hisoka! Not yet, anyway... w**

Again, I'm sorry for the wait QAQ

Also, heads up. I'm moving on the 31st of May (this month) and at the new place... due to some annoying issues, I won't be able to be online and update as much as I'd like for the first month... so I'm sorry for that!

Anyway, feel free to leave a review ;u; I love reading them! I'll see you when I upload the next chapter! Thank you for reading ;u;

-PitaBunJello~


	3. Crushed

"Kill... him?" I hesitate to look up at Shalnark. When my eyes meet with his, I turn away from intimidation. "Why do you want me to do that?" My benefit, he said it was for my benefit. That means it's good, right? I just don't understand why I should kill him. So what if people know I'm here- it's not like I'm hiding anything! My parents would just assume that he's a boy I met and began travelling with.

Shalnark sighs and shakes his head. "You're really not ready?" He gives me a pout, but his ominous aura stays strong. I clench my hands into fists. Does he really think I'm not ready? Killing... Killing makes someone strong- no. It doesn't make them strong, it means they are strong. Right? I wince when my fingernail somehow finds it's way into the hole I just put through my hand. "Dammnit, Hibiki..." He takes my left hand and looks at it.

"Kill him?" I ask him to confirm that's really what he's asking of me. I know I don't need to, but I'm just so afraid. How could I kill someone that's like family to me? I feel my entire body tense up when Shalnark forces his own finger through the hole in my palm. That fork went all the way through! "Haah..." I hold in a scream as he twists his finger.

"Does it hurt?" He smirks and I turn away, clenching my jaw to avoid making too much noise. I can feel it. My hand- I can't... I become dizzy as my eyes water. "It does?" He tugs his finger and I hold back another scream. My breathing is heavy and the way I'm reacting give away how much pain I'm in. "I'll teach you how to heal it."

I turn back to Shalnark and witness as he pulls his finger out of my wound. His hand isn't covered in my blood, thanks to utilizing my aura correctly. It hurts more now that his finger isn't screwing around with it, though. I hold back my stomach acid and noodles and try to calm myself down. When my breathing is slightly calmer, I look up at the taller man. "How?"

He smiles wryly and this time he takes my hand once more, only gently. "Once you heal it, I expect you to kill that old man." I go to shake my head, but I hesitate and nod instead. I must look pitiful to him. Shalnark sighs and smiles sweetly. "Jeez. You look pitiful." I was right. Though my face heats up and he chuckles. For some reason, I don't think he really means I look... pitiful. "Okay. You know a decent amount of enhancing, right?"

I nod and keep trying to channel his aura. It doesn't seem threatening anymore and it seems more comforting. Better yet, I don't feel like vomiting any longer. "Just focus on trying to regenerate the flesh, your bones weren't damaged too badly. Use enhancing to do that. Remember, it's like enhancing your voice to make it louder or enhancing your legs to make them stronger." I nod and try to focus my aura into my left hand and only my left hand. it's easy since I learned Ko before.

"Good." He praises me as he watches me try to utilize my hatsu so that I'm enhancing my regenerative abilities. It takes a bit of time, though I'm not sure how long since it felt like forever and my inner clock fails to comply with an actual one, but I manage to close the flesh most of the way. Shalnark stares at me. "I didn't think that'd work." He admits and chuckles. "Well, at least you've managed to surprise me today."

"You didn't think it'd work?" I stare at Shalnark in disbelief. He doesn't typically tell me something that's on his mind so freely like that. Then again, he is mocking me in a way. He's just showcasing that he doesn't have much hope in me.

"Not really. That sort of skill takes way longer to master. Then again, it did take you quite a long while, albeit... almost two hours to do that, so I guess it isn't that astonishing." He turns to the cabin door and opens it. "I guess you really didn't impress me after all."

...Cat and Mouse...

I walk alongside Shalnark down the streets of my village... The moon's relatively high and if I had to guess, my father's called it a day already. He was always working until the moon was out and it was too dark to see the task at hand to complete it. He was such a great teacher... He taught me everything I knew up until now.

Reminiscing while walking along the street of your home town is a little depressing. I wonder if Shalnark will let me see my family at some point? It may not be likely since he's kept my presence hidden from everyone else up until now. It's almost like he's protecting me.

"Hibiki, where does that old guy live?" He turns to me and continues walking. I don't think he'd care if I told him Ziel's name anyway so I resist the urge to. It won't matter anyway... We're going to kill him.

"He lives at the other end of the village. It's the closest to the field that we train in everyday." He stops in his tracks and shoots me an annoyed glare before turning on his heel and heading back the way we came. Maybe I should have told him before walking for so long. I don't really mind it, I guess. I mean- despite him just putting me through some excruciating pain, he's not that bad of a guy to just... walk with. He doesn't call for a lot of conversation and he's peaceful.

Suddenly, I'm reminded of another question I wanted to ask that I was too embarrassed to do so. "You said you asked Chrollo to let me be in the Troupe, right?" He nods and I continue. "Why did you want me to join?" It's slight, but I can see his smile still. I turn away as I feel my face heat up. I feel like I shouldn't enjoy being around him at all, but I guess I'm immune to him treating me badly by this point. It's typical and it seems to always help me out in the end.

Beating me to a pulp during training, hitting me on the back of the head when I'm improper, and even sticking his finger into my wound. I have to admit, I hate it when it happens, but I don't sob loudly when pain is inflicted on me anymore. I can hold back my screams of pain and my tears a lot better... I've learned to dodge more often than not, and I've become more tolerant. So I guess it's really just his way of making me into something worth keeping...

"You seemed interesting." He says, causing a big grin to fill my face. I find myself walking closer to him than I was before. Which one of us moved closer to the other? I glance at him every once and awhile as we walk in silence to the cabin where Ziel and Hiro should be getting ready for bed. He's really handsome... I guess...

…Cat and Mouse...

We reach the cabin just in time. Ziel is outside checking on his herbs and watering them. Due to such a late appearance thanks to me wasting our time, Shalnark is the one who captures him. Ziel is old and frail-looking. His body seems as if it'll break upon touching it, but he's definitely a lot tougher than he looks.

Shalnark keeps the unconscious old man pinned to the ground by his shoulders. I kneel on the ground beside him. This is the moment. This is where I prove to Shalnark and everyone else that I'm strong enough to kill someone... Without... hesi...ta...ting... I stare at Zielfer and look up at Shalnark. He gives me an impatient look.

"I'm holding him down for you and he's unconscious, what more do you need?" He continues to be impatient as I trace my fingers down Ziel's cheeks. His wrinkles. I find my eyes watering.

"Do I... really have to?" I look at Shalnark who seems disappointed in me. "He's like family to me..." Shalnark seems angrier than usual when I fail to comply to a precise order. "Shalnark..." I gently place my right hand on his shoulder to try and get him to sympathize with me.

"I know it's hard- just... You can do it, Hibiki." He tries to coax me into it, but I'm too afraid. I shake my head and let my tears fall down my cheeks and onto my thighs. I just can't. He's like my family. "I know he's like your family- but he isn't. Do you really have a reason to have such a great bond with him?" He tries to entice me by giving me a small knife that he must've grabbed before we left the cabin.

"He's just like another father- that's all..." I sob quietly. I'm not strong enough- I'm definitely not strong enough. Shalnark will be so disappointed in me- I know it. If he doesn't have any need for me- he'll kill me, right? I grab ahold of the knife and look at Shalnark. I'm surprised to see him actually upset. Over what? Me not killing someone?

"I've never really known my parents. The Troupe is the only family I have, Hibiki. You don't understand what true family is until you're forced to understand. It doesn't just come to you. We were just... we were just children! We had to depend on each other!" I'm caught off guard when I see Shalnark with such a bitter and dark expression. Almost as if it really hurts him right now. And here I was, thinking he didn't really have emotions... How stupid of me to think that. "Just... Kill him." He glares at me with a seemingly bitter expression and I feel my chest ache.

Everything is so strange... "I-I..." I hesitate and look at Shalnark again. He looks as if he's in so much pain. I shouldn't be upset about losing Zielfer, right? I mean- he isn't my real family. I need to understand that. He's not really my family- he's just another guy that I know in my village- nothing more than that! I feel so foolish to see him as family when I have no real reason to do such a thing! He's nothing to me...!

The old man seems to stir. I stare at him thinking about everything. Why I was so stupid to be so insensitive around Shalnark, and why I would think that he'd be like family to me... It wasn't right. It isn't right. The old man opens his eyes and I bring my arms up as he opens his mouth to speak.

"Where... am I? Hibik-" I force the knife down onto his throat before he can finish my name. I don't know what it is... Why I'm like this... I... I continue to stab the geezer out of pure rage. I was so stupid. To think that I've been like this for so long! He's not my family so I shouldn't have a problem killing him.

With each stab, the blood splashes and the disgusting, gooey sound of pounded flesh becomes more evident. It's just like ground beef; only bloodier! I begin to enjoy the stabbing. It's like I'm letting a lot of stress out as I brutally murder this man. A stress reliever- that's all it is. A wonderful stress reliever.

I find myself panting. I'm covered in blood; the old man's blood! He's the man that I once considered family- but after years of fooling myself- …. He's not. He never was. He shouldn't be important to me. Looking down at the bloody mess of flesh that was once a face, I find myself laughing. Not an insane laugh like you'd expect. My usual playful laugh. I wipe the tears out of my eyes, careful not to replace them with the old man's blood and turn to Shalnark.

"I.. did it!" I smile and Shalnark just stares at me with pride. If it surprised him, then the surprise would've died down after the tenth stab so I'm not discouraged that he isn't surprised right now. I think I stabbed him about fifty times, though. If I was any normal person, I'd be exhausted right now to the point of passing out. I mean- I'm still exhausted, but I feel... more relaxed than tired. It's just my body that's tired. My mind is... brand new.

Shalnark shakes his head and stands up. I join him and find myself giggling uncontrollably. I've finally done it. I killed someone. "I killed someone, Shalnark!" I continue to pant and giggle- which probably isn't good for me. When I hiccup, Shalnark laughs. Like- he really laughs! Not just a chuckle or a snicker.

"I knew you interested me for a reason." He shakes his head in disbelief, a smile on his face.

...Lightning Skater...

The next morning, I happily eat my breakfast at a small restaurant in the village. I'm wearing a disguise, but it's still nice nonetheless. Scrambled eggs and strawberry jam on toast. I've never liked bacon, though... So I gave that to Shalnark.

"Thanks for breakfast, Shalnark." I smile and happily put my scrambled eggs onto my toast with jam.

"No... problem." He says before taking a drink of his orange juice. "You even eat oddly." He points out, making me feel a little self-conscious of my eating habits. "On the bright side, you've matured a bit, so I'm still proud of you for last night." My face heats up and I giggle.

"Wah! That's so embarrassing...!" I turn away to conceal my smile.

"Well, you surprised me. I didn't think you'd do it. You were pretty messy for your first time, though." I feel like anyone who doesn't know the context of our conversation would see it differently. I keep having to remind myself the context because we're not outright saying it.

Which reminds of something else. He's trained me and put up with me all of this time. I know the feelings aren't mutual, but... I just feel as if I should tell him. He's taught me so much and he's dealt with me for a long time and... I think I'm sure about how I feel! "Shalnark?"

"Hm?" he finishes his breakfast and wipes his mouth with a napkin. With his green eyes locked onto my pink ones, I find my heart pounding. My face heats up and I can tell he notices. "Well?" He chuckles and I feel my throat tightening up. Oh crap, I'm getting really nervous!

"I-I... Well.." I stutter. I really want to tell him... "I really... I mean... We've spent all of this time together... and... I was sort of thinking that maybe this could be a possibility and that I might as well tell you it- I mean, I'm sure this is how it is... but..." He laughs and ruffles my hair.

"Tell me already." I can tell he's getting amusement out of seeing me struggle like this. I'm sure he already knows what I want to say, though.

"I have a crush... on... you..." I say the words slowly but surely. They drag out a bit, but Shalnark doesn't seem surprised- as I expected. He must have been with a few more girls than just me, right? I mean- we're not a thing or anything...

"I know." He finished his juice and points at me. "You probably want to know what I think of you, right?" It's almost as if he's mocking me. My heart skips a beat and I slowly nod... "Well, I guess to sum my feelings up into one sentence... it would be-"

"H-Help!" Just as Shalnark was about to tell me how he felt about me, it was cut off by that boy that I've known my entire life... Hiro. Zielfer's son.

* * *

**Aloha, my cute little caterpillar munchies. (yeah, I know.)**

It's PitaBunJello here~ This chapter didn't take as long as I'd thought to finish up. It's kind of annoying not having internet at my new place. I'm uploading at the library here right now xD

Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. My friends: Carol, Dylan, and Gabe helped me out on this chapter! Gave it a review and everything for me! I really hope you guys enjoy the chapter, because everything's just starting to get cool and action-y. Hibiki will be a BAMF eventually... Hopefully... I love mai babuuu.

Thank you and please review~

-PitaBunJello~


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